Washington, D.C., November 15, 2024. The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Region faces a wide variety of health emergencies, largely driven by infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Urbanization, population growth, climate change and migration contribute to increasing frequency, severity and scale of emergencies and disasters, significantly impacting the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) supports its Member States in strengthening capacities across all phases of the emergency cycle, including prevention, preparedness, readiness, response and recovery. With a strong focus on building community readiness and resilience, PAHO strives to prevent and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters in communities and populations directly affected. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are valuable leaders and contributors in health interventions, especially during emergencies. They are trusted entities uniquely positioned to effectively support prevention, preparedness, and readiness measures, as well as the implementation of health emergency response and recovery efforts with communities.
In an effort to strengthen community readiness and resilience to emergencies, and to increase its meaningful engagement with CSOs, PAHO has launched an open call to applicant to establish its Civil Society Consultation Group for Health Emergency Risk Management.
This Consultation Group seeks to inform and improve PAHO's work in health emergency risk management and enhance the participation of civil society and communities in those efforts at subnational, national, and regional levels. The goal is to have representation from a diverse cross-section of CSOs, including those from different income settings, various issue focus areas, and geographical regions. Therefore, eligible participants include nongovernmental organizations such as grassroots movements, community-based organizations, civil society groups and networks, faith-based organizations, professional groups, and patient groups.
The mission and purpose of prospective applicants must be consistent with PAHO values, contribute to the advancement of public health, and be considered a nongovernmental organization according to PAHO’s Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA) and pass the due diligence and risk assessment process performed under FENSA.
PAHO invites all Civil Society Organizations interested in participating in its Civil Society Consultation Group for Health Emergency Risk Management to apply. The application period will open on 15 November 2024 and will close on 15 December 2024. Prospective applicants may view the Consultation Group’s terms of reference and access instructions on how to apply here.
As emergencies begin and end within the communities, building readiness and resilience to emergencies requires the active involvement of CSOs. This initiative represents a significant opportunity not only to strengthen collaboration efforts between CSOs and PAHO but also to amplify civil society participation in health emergency risk management strategies across the Americas.
